To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] A plague of locusts!
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 23:16:34 -0500
When the cicadas first showed up the weather was unseasonably cool, and so
they were slow to get started. Three weeks ago they were quiet. Two weeks
ago they were up in the high trees singing, there were not nearly as many as
I remember from 25 years ago in east Tenn, so I thought we were pretty safe.
One week ago they were still mostly in the high trees. But in the last week
it has finally warmed up and the cicadas have been spending more time down
in smaller trees. It looks as if they don't care much for trees that are
shaded, but there are two trees they seem very fond of. One is a small
apple tree, a local variety that makes pretty boring fruit. The other one
is a 20th Century pear that bloomed for the first time this year, just 2
clusters of flowers. The two trees are in a sunny breezy area and the
cicadas won't leave them alone. They have stabbed not just small twigs, not
just horizontal twigs, but also a section of the vertical apple trunk as big
as my finger. I am just sick over the pear tree, by the time the bugs and
the blight are done with it, there won't be much left. My neighbors have a
large tree of 20th Century that must be at least 50 years old, which implies
it's survived at least two previous swarms. I was quite looking forward to
fruit from that tree, but I doubt the locust and FB strikes will leave much
fruit. There's no predicting what the cicadas will attack, some small peach
twigs are already hanging down dead. I have wrapped up two small trees and
figure that many of my smallest trees are safe, but there is nothing I can
do for the bigger trees. I have only seen dead cicadas in the last two
days, and no more new ones, so I guess the infestation will die down soon.
I suppose with high temps day and night they will live and die faster. At
least we are saving a lot on dogfood. The dogs are having a wonderful time.
Donna
Re: [NAFEX] A plague of locusts!,
Donna &/or Kieran, 06/05/2008